April 11, 2022 – Washington County, WI – George W. Lockwood, age 95, of Jackson, Wisconsin, passed away on April 6th at Froedtert Hospital. He was born on July 5, 1926, in Racine, the first of three children of Willis and Helen Lockwood. He lived a full life.
On January 28, 1944, the same day he graduated from Washington Park High School, Racine, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy flight training program. He was 17. That was the beginning of a secondary career in the Naval Air Reserve which lasted for 32 years. Although he was never in combat, he served six years on active duty, including one recall, and 26 years as a drilling reservist. He accumulated 3,000 hours of pilot time, mostly in dive bombers and anti-submarine warfare aircraft. He landed on five aircraft carriers. He rose to the rank of captain.
On December 22, 1949, he married Anne Prescott Farnsworth of Providence, Rhode Island. They raised two fine sons, John and Charles. Both were born while he was attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In 1953, the family moved to the West Bend area, where he was employed first by The West Bend Company for 23 years and later by The B.C. Ziegler and Company for 14 years.
The family enjoyed skiing, boating and traveling. For 19 years they drove to the Colorado Rockies to ski with friends. Then for five years they enjoyed bare-boating with friends (who knew how to sail) twice in the Virgin Islands, twice in the Grenadines and once off the Emerald Coast of Turkey. Later, on their own, they operated rental barges five times in the canals of France and cabin cruisers twice in the waters of Scotland.
Other travels included all 50 states, about 20 European countries, five African nations and five Asian countries.
On January 19, 2004, after 54 years of marriage, his dear wife, Anne, passed away. On March 18, 2006, he married a lovely widow, Yvonne Froehlich of West Bend, who also had been married for 54 years. She, too, liked to travel. They enjoyed eight wonderful years together. Yvonne passed away on January 7, 2015.
George was preceded in death by his parents, both wives, his son Charles and both brothers-in-law, William Belconis and William Ganzel. He is survived by his son, John and daughter-in-law Terrianne of West Bend; two sisters, Marjorie Ganzel and Elizabeth Belconis of Racine; two step-sons, James Froehlich MD (Jackie) of West Bend and Thomas Froehlich (Mary) of Eagle River, Wisconsin; two step-daughters, Lynn (Michael) Russell of Loveland, Colorado and Patricia Verfuerth of Palm Springs, California; and well as three grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and other relatives and friends.
A Requiem Eucharist and Committal Service will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, April 22, 2022, at St. James Episcopal Church, 148 S. 8th Street, West Bend, WI. Visitation will be at the church on Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon.
Committal of ashes in the Church Columbarium will immediately follow the Mass. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Saint James Foundation of West Bend, the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund or the charity of your choice.